Ben Foster error gives West Ham Carling Cup edge over Birmingham

Tuesday 11 January 2011 16.56 EST
First published on Tuesday 11 January 2011 16.56 EST

If Avram Grant does survive as the manager of West Ham United, and goodness knows the jury remains out, he will know who he has to thank. His 10-man team was heading for a damaging draw in this first leg, and Grant for almost certain dismissal in what was a must-win fixture for him when Jonathan Spector cut a low ball back for the substitute Carlton Cole in pretty much West Ham's only forward thrust of the second half.

It was the 78th minute and the ball was there to be smashed home yet the striker failed to make proper contact and his shot dribbled towards the Birmingham City goalkeeper Ben Foster. The crowd cleared their throats to groan only for Fate to click her fingers. Almost in slow motion, Foster tumbled off balance and Cole's tame effort crawled through his legs and over the line. Upon such moments can careers hinge. Had Grant enjoyed his Mark Robbins moment?

That will become clearer today when to discuss the best way forward and, specifically, whether it ought to feature Grant at the helm. In one sense, he has done all he can. An excellent first-half performance here was followed by a desperately disappointing second-half one, which was scarred by Victor Obinna's reckless red card, but his team somehow got the result, which extended a reasonably positive recent run.

In seven matches, Grant's team have lost only once, albeit dismally at Newcastle United in the Premier League, and it is a fact that this is their best sequence of the season. And it has been fashioned against all the difficulties; the injuries, the backstabbing and the intrigue.

A first Wembley final in 30 years is within reach for West Ham. Grant has a flawless semi-final record with English clubs, having previously played three and won three but the big question is whether he will have the opportunity to lead the team in the second leg at St Andrew's in two weeks' time. Even this most laconic of men must feel his pulse hammering.

Typically, the tie that had been billed as the one that Grant had to win to save his skin was a roller-coaster affair. The whole thing could conceivably have been over by the interval were it not for Foster who, ironically, had performed heroics to repel West Ham in the first half. He made reaction saves from Matthew Upson's early crack at the near post and Obinna's 30th-minute blast while he was also required to tip over from both Spector's rasping drive and James Tomkins' header from Scott Parker's corner.

West Ham's goal had been all about Mark Noble. Having surged past two blue shirts to cross, he found the ball heading back his way after a heart-stopping scramble. The angle was tight but he sized up the shooting opportunity and let fly first-time. His right-footed connection was sweet and with Scott Dann obscuring Foster's command of the near post, the ball crashed through both of them.

Birmingham were a shadow, in the first half, of the competitive force that their supporters have come to expect and Alex McLeish, the manager, fumed on the touchline. Yet by full-time, he could talk with some justification about an "opportunity missed".

His team's improvement immediately after the restart was marked. Rather abruptly, there was drive and urgency, particularly from his three central midfielders. The equaliser almost came from one Sebastian Larsson corner, when Cameron Jerome's header was smuggled off the line by Freddie Sears and then it did come from another, Larsson's delivery again dangerous and Liam Ridgewell getting in front of Winston Reid to thump a header home.

The turnaround illustrated just how fragile confidence is at West Ham and the feeling was compounded when Obinna lost his head completely. The on-loan Internazionale forward tangled with Larsson at a throw-in and flicked his studs up and back into his opponents' nether regions.

The stupidity was almost surreal and it took a while to realise that he had indeed got himself sent off. Birmingham sought to turn the screw and Upson was mightily fortunate to escape the concession of a penalty when he shoved Barry Ferguson inside the area. "It was a stonewaller," McLeish said. "He did not just impede him, it was a barge in the back."

"The goal was a monstrosity," said McLeish, who added that Foster had apologised to his team-mates.